Year in and year out, football players that attended high schools in the state of Georgia are drafted into the NFL in the first round, and that was no different last night during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Three players from Georgia high schools saw their dreams realized last night as Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter, and a pair of Georgia Bulldogs in edge rusher Mykel Williams and safety Malaki Starks were selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Hunter, a Collins Hill-product and a 2021 GHSA state champion, was selected with the second-overall pick in the draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars as the team traded its first round selection this year (No. 5 pick), a 2025 second round pick, a 2025 fourth round pick and a 2026 first round pick to the Cleveland Browns, allowing the Jaguars to move up three spots to select Hunter. Along with selecting Hunter, the Jaguars received a fourth and sixth round selection in this year’s draft.
Hunter will make an instant impact for the Jaguars in year one as his electric playmaking fills multiple holes in the Jacksonville roster. The pairing of Hunter along with second-year receiver Brian Thomas Jr. will make for an explosive young wide receiver duo in Jacksonville for years to come.
Hunter is now paired with former Cartersville quarterback and No. 1-overall selection Trevor Lawrence as they look to change the culture in Jacksonville.
The question surrounding Hunter now will be how the Jaguars will utilize his talents on both sides of the ball and what his primary position will be. Regardless of what side of the ball he ends up playing on, the move to get Hunter gives Jacksonville instant production at not one, but two positions of need.
Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams was selected with the 11th overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers as he provides another great option off the edge for the team on the opposite side of star edge rusher Nick Bosa. The 49ers have had great defenses in recent years but after a 2024 season where the organization finished in the bottom-10 in terms of total sacks, Williams provides instant pass rushing help in the Bay Area. Williams attended Hardaway High School where he was rated as a 5-star and a top-10 recruit in the Class of 2022 who recorded more than 40 sacks during his high school career.
Rounding out the first round, the Baltimore Ravens selected Georgia safety Malaki Starks with the 27th pick, providing an instant boost to their secondary. Starks, a first-team All-SEC selection for the last two seasons is now paired with Marist-alumni and former Notre Dame safety, Kyle Hamilton as the two make for a great young pairing in the backend of Baltimore’s defense for years to come. Starks was a stand-out athlete at Jefferson High School as he played football and won a Class 4A state championship with the Dragons on the track and won an individual state championship in the long jump event.
With the three players selected last night, the state of Georgia had the second-most players drafted in the first round only behind Texas who led the way with sixth players selected.
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